The number of new HIV diagnoses recorded between 2001 and 2006 among men who have sex with men ages 13 to 24 increased by 12.4% annually, according to a study published Thursday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Some experts said the findings are an 'ominous ... indicator' that the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to flourish among MSM. For the study, CDC analyzed data from 33 states but did not include statistics from states with large minority and MSM populations, including California, Illinois and Georgia. The study found that of the 214,379 HIV diagnoses recorded during the study period, 46% were among MSM. Although the rate of new diagnoses increased for MSM, it declined in all other transmission categories, including injection drug use and high-risk heterosexual contact. Among all MSM, the estimated annual percentage change was 1.5%, according to the study. Among MSM ages 25 to 44, the rate of new diagnoses declined by 1%. In addition, among MSM ages 45 and older, the rate increased by 3%, the study found. Among MSM ages 13 to 24, the annual increase was 8% among Hispanics, 9% among whites and 15% among blacks. According to the Washington Post, the increase among young MSM is about 10 times higher than the overall MSM community.